Statements in Meeting with the President and Officials of the Judiciary

On the occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Beheshti and Judiciary Day.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family, especially the Remaining One of God on the earth.

Welcome, dear brothers! I find it necessary to extend my greetings and wishes for strength to all the active and devoted elements serving in this important judiciary, both you and the thousands who are not present here; we send our greetings to all of you, and God willing, may your services be acknowledged by the Almighty.

The great right of martyr Beheshti over the country and the nation Martyr Beheshti, our great martyr, has a significant right over the country and the nation, which is the establishment of Islamic justice.

This was not an easy task; it was a difficult endeavor. He initiated a new movement for the judiciary that gradually progressed and accomplished many things. At that time, complaints were coming in, and I personally discussed with him what he was doing, and he explained these efforts. He truly initiated great works, and gradually many of these efforts bore fruit and reached results.

Some personal characteristics of martyr Beheshti He was a thoughtful scholar, a theorist; the late Mr. Beheshti was indeed a distinguished and outstanding personality; he was revolutionary; he was truly revolutionary, hardworking; he was deeply committed to the principles of the revolution. Now, sometimes some people quote certain prominent figures, but the truth is as I say: Mr. Beheshti was genuinely committed to the principles of the revolution and the principles of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); and he was pious; Mr. Beheshti was a faithful and religious man. I had a lot of interactions with him; he was very religious, very pious, and very serious in his movement towards religion and religious issues. In addition to these, he was one of the pillars of the Constitution's drafting; the right of this great man must be recognized and acknowledged, God willing.

The audacity of the West in giving a platform to the Mojahedin and claiming human rights And the Mojahedin, on this day - the Seventh of Tir - committed a great crime against the Iranian nation by taking this distinguished and magnificent personality along with about seventy other prominent figures from this country. These murderers, who confessed to this crime and this horrific act - their confessions are available - today in these countries that claim to uphold human rights - in France and other European countries - they move freely, live their lives, and the European governments - the French government and others - are not ashamed to support them and give them a platform even in their national assemblies while simultaneously claiming human rights; this is truly an extraordinary and astonishing audacity of the West.

Jihadi movement in the judiciary, a factor of public trust in the Islamic Republic's institutions and a great social capital Well, it is necessary to extend a greeting to Mr. Raisi. The judiciary is naturally undergoing a transformation.

In the two years and a few months that he has been responsible for the judiciary, he has truly worked hard, made efforts, and good things have been accomplished in this judiciary. Mr. Raisi's movement in the judiciary exemplified what we always repeat [i.e.,] "Jihadi movement"; a Jihadi movement means serious, round-the-clock, hardworking, motivated movement; it was such a movement, and thanks be to God, it had good effects, and the most important effect of this movement was that it revived people's hope in the judiciary, restored it, and made people optimistic about the judiciary. We receive complaints from people about various institutions; there is a significant difference in people's opinions between [the period] before these two years and a bit, and after these two years and a bit; it revived hope and confidence in the judiciary; this is social capital. This public trust in the active institutions of the Islamic Republic is a great social capital, and nothing can compare to it, and thanks be to God, the judiciary has achieved this accomplishment.

The necessity of continuing the transformative approach in the judiciary Now that the judiciary is undergoing a new change, I must mention a few points that, God willing, should be considered in the future movement of the judiciary. These are exactly the same things that he has just stated, which I have noted down here.

First and foremost is the issue of a transformative approach in the judiciary. Of course, transformation in the true sense of the word does not happen in a year or two, but starting this movement in the judiciary and adopting this orientation and approach is very important; it must continue, not stop, but rather intensify; the nature of the matter [is] that if a movement begins and we want this movement to reach its conclusion, it must not only not lose momentum along the way but must continuously gain strength and be reinforced to reach its final destination.

The transformation document of the judiciary, a solid and operational document and a criterion for continuing the path In any case, this work has begun; well, a document has been prepared in the judiciary; then, this document was revised, and its upgraded second version was presented by him, we saw; it is a good and solid document. Some documents are prepared here and there that are merely for show and generalizations; this document does not contain generalizations; this document is a strong and good document; specifically for various long-term and time-bound works; it has determined the basis and path of movement, indicating that this document is operational in the true sense of the word and is not merely a slogan or superficial. This [transformation] document is a good document; they should take this document as a criterion for action. Of course, it may be necessary to update this document over time, but this does not mean that the path of movement should be subject to continuous changes; the path must be a clear, direct, and stable path.

The necessity of removing obstacles to implementing the transformation document and encouraging the judiciary's personnel to act on it One observation is that this document should be made known to everyone. I have received reports that some influential individuals in the judiciary do not properly recognize this document; it must be communicated to everyone so that the judiciary's experts can see and consider it. First, everyone must feel and understand their duty according to the transformation document; secondly, if they have any opinions, they should reflect them to higher authorities. Therefore, they should not remain uninformed.

The necessity of addressing regulatory gaps for the implementation of the transformation document Another point regarding this document is that I have heard that there are regulatory gaps, meaning laws are needed for the complete implementation of this document; these laws must be prepared, and you [too] must prepare them and not let it remain that, for example, a draft is prepared in the parliament; no, prepare the necessary law, get the required law ready, and do not let this gap remain. In addition to this, the judiciary's personnel should be encouraged to implement this document; you can find various ways to encourage them. This is one point regarding the issue of transformation and the complete implementation and thorough follow-up of the judiciary's transformation document.

Reviving public rights, an important and legal duty of the judiciary The second point is the judiciary's entry into reviving public rights, which primarily manifested in the issue of pursuing production and the issue of production and factories that have gone out of operation; of course, it has also been realized in other areas such as reclaiming natural resources and state lands and similar matters; this is a very necessary and good work. That some say this is not part of the judiciary's duties is completely contrary to the truth and the law; entering the issue of reviving public rights is one of the important duties of the judiciary, part of the work of the prosecutors who must be vigilant and attentive, and the entire judiciary must address this issue; this work is important. Of course, it is not only economic issues; health, education, environmental issues, and many other matters must also be considered regarding public rights.

Supporting enforcers of good and forbidders of evil as a manifestation of public rights One aspect of public rights is the issue of enjoining good and forbidding evil. Unfortunately, this obligation is not as prevalent in our society as it should be, but there are individuals here and there who are enforcers of good and forbidders of evil; they should not be left alone, and they must be supported. Of course, I also know that some act in the name of enjoining good and forbidding evil, making a fuss and pursuing other goals; well, the distinction between a true enforcer of good and forbider of evil and a false one is again with the judiciary; they must pursue the actions of those who truly understand what it means to be an enforcer of good and forbider of evil.

The need to address legal gaps and draft appropriate laws regarding public rights As I have been informed, the issue of pursuing public rights is also suffering from legal gaps; for example, suppose someone violates public rights, what is their punishment? This is not clearly specified in the law; therefore, various judicial bodies in different cities and places across the country are forced to act according to their own discretion; one behaves one way, another behaves differently; this also needs a law. This is another point.

The importance of combating corruption within the judiciary and preserving the dignity of honorable judges and officials Another point is the issue of combating corruption within the judiciary, which has also begun in the judiciary and is a very good work and one of the most obligatory tasks; it is among the foremost and primary tasks of the judiciary. Of course, I must say that sometimes the uproar regarding the existence of corruption in the judiciary becomes so exaggerated that it insults honorable, pure-hearted, and faithful judges.

This [action] is not permissible. A large majority of judges in the judiciary across the country are honorable, motivated, faithful, pure-hearted, and enduring individuals who are living through hard lives and heavy workloads; we must ensure that they are not treated with indifference; the faithful elements - who are undoubtedly the majority in the judiciary - should not be treated with indifference. However, ultimately, a corrupt and unworthy element, even if few, leaves its impact; that is, if, for example, a mid-level member in the prosecutor's office or in a certain judiciary in a certain city makes a wrong and illegal move, and one person becomes aware of it, tells this to another, and so on, it will naturally spread that there is corruption in the judiciary; one person is corrupt, but its reflection is a negative one for the judiciary. Therefore, [your institution] must confront this issue firmly; honorable and faithful judges should not be insulted or treated with indifference, but those who must be dealt with should be dealt with in the true sense of the word.

Well, we have many public reports; that is, every day one or two reports from the public and similar things are given to me, and I usually look at them; there are complaints that we often send to the judiciary. Sometimes it is reported that, for example, a certain financial defendant and a certain element within a certain judiciary in a certain city are connected, their hands are one; a report like this [comes]. Well, it may be true, it may be false, but it is important. This is one of those places where when such a report arrives, in my opinion, an inspection must be activated immediately, and you must send someone to investigate and see what the matter is; that is, this is one of those things that must not be approached with optimism, saying, "No, we know this person, this claim [is not true]"; no, send someone precisely; this is one of those cases that must be valued. I think it was in the previous term - now I don't remember exactly whether it was during Mr. Raisi's time or before him - that a number of individuals were designated to go anonymously to the courts, to the district courts, to see things up close; this is a very good work. Mobilize such individuals and send them to see what this matter is, how much this claim corresponds with reality or not. Ultimately, seeing with one's own eyes is very effective; many things cannot be understood from paper. Unfortunately, I have had less opportunity to have extensive contact with the people lately, but for many years, I always had a lot of contact with the people; I saw that many things are understood and realized in meetings, in public gatherings, in sessions, and similar situations that cannot be understood from paper, writing, and reports.

The necessity of maintaining the connection between judiciary officials and the people and active groups in society The next point is about this public presence; the same as I just mentioned. One of the strengths of Mr. Raisi's work in the judiciary was his engagement with the people. Do not abandon this; the esteemed officials of the judiciary after him should not abandon this. This is a very good and important work, and as I mentioned, it has many blessings; both going among the people and maintaining contact with active groups in society; university activists, clerical activists, economic activists, activists related to women's issues, who are active in this matter; or the issue of ethnicities; communication with them is very important. It is very important that the judiciary officials, especially the head of the judiciary, maintain contact with the groups that are working in these areas; there are many things in the field of production that one cannot understand the reality of unless they communicate with those who are active in production - labor officials, workers - and hear from them. Contact with these active groups is also part of public presence and public communication that we must pay attention to. Its benefit is, first, that you can hear their words, and secondly, you can explain to them; many times, there are policies that various institutions have that some from outside protest; they have no ulterior motive, [but] due to ignorance, they protest; that is, they do not know the essence of this decision or the reasoning behind this decision; because they do not know, they protest. Well, explain to them; some things need to be clarified and stated. Well, these were the points regarding the judiciary. God willing, a new chapter will now begin in the judiciary, and God willing, the same course and method that was in Mr. Raisi's term during these two years and a bit, which was very good, will continue with strength, and more advantages will be achieved, and more active works will be done.

The epic of the elections, a strong blow to the sanctions and opponents of the elections I want to say a word about the elections. This election was truly and honestly an epic; this election that took place was, in the true sense of the word, an epic created by these people. Well, efforts are being made, papers are being written, letters are being sent, in the virtual space, in the institutions, they speak to deny the greatness of this election; it is of no use; this effort is futile; it was a great work. Analysts who were watching this election understand what happened. Where in the world is it common and seen that all the opposing, active, and effective propaganda apparatuses work to urge the people not to participate in the elections? Where is such a thing? In which country do you find such a thing that American radios, British radios, and radios from some reactionary and disgraceful countries activate to warn elements of their own, treacherous elements from Iranians living under the American and British flags and benefiting from them, start from long ago in radio, television, satellite, especially in the virtual space, not one or two, but hundreds, even thousands of networks and efforts to keep the people away from the elections? Well, they had some excuses; the people's livelihood problem was one of the excuses they had; they were hoping for that; some incidents that later occurred, such as the issue of qualification or disqualification, they also used as excuses.

Now, I may not agree with some of these opinions of the esteemed Guardian Council, but the Guardian Council acts according to its religious duty, according to the law. They are religious and pious people, committed to their religious duty, and they act according to their religious duty. Now, I may not agree with one case, two cases, or more or less, but I believe that they [act this way]. These were the excuses they used; one of the excuses was the livelihood issues, and they started to make a fuss to dissuade the people from [participating] at the ballot boxes, and their hope was that people's participation in the elections would be around 20 percent or 25 percent. They also voiced these; they said these. Well, with such a situation, the people come out to participate; despite the coronavirus, which now, according to calculations made by experts, they say at least 10 percent of the non-participation is related to the coronavirus, which if we calculate that, it is close to 60 percent participation, which is a good participation. Despite this, the people come into the field, line up early in the morning, cast their votes, and their motivating statements are broadcast on television, which one observes. What are these? This is a strong blow that the people dealt to the chest of those who imposed sanctions and opposed the elections; the people stood firm; this is truly an epic, this is truly a massive popular movement. Those who made efforts during this time to keep the people away from the ballot boxes are the losers of this election. Individuals should not look for the winners and losers of the election; the winners of the election are all those who contributed to the enthusiasm of this election. The candidates of the election are among the winners; those who did not win votes are also winners because they helped to make the people interested in these ballot boxes. The main winner is the Iranian nation, and the main loser is those who have been trying to keep the people from participating in this election and faced rejection from the people, and their hopes and ambitions regarding the election results were thwarted by the people. This public presence is very valuable. Therefore, one point is that the epic of people's presence should not be overlooked.

Incorrect analysis by some regarding invalid votes Some focus on invalid votes, saying, "Oh, there are many invalid votes." Well, so what? What does invalid votes indicate? Do invalid votes indicate the separation of those individuals from the system? Absolutely not! The opposite is true. The one who comes to the polling station and wants to vote - they have not quarreled with the ballot box, they want to vote - looks and sees that the person they accept is not among these candidates; well, what should they do? They can get upset and say, "Now that my preferred candidate is not in this list of candidates, I will not vote," and leave; if they did not get upset, did not leave, and voted, writing the name of that person - which becomes invalid votes - or cast a blank vote, then it is clear that this [person] is interested in the ballot box, it is clear that they have not quarreled with the ballot box, it is clear that they are interested in the system. Some keep stirring up and making incorrect analyses about these trivial matters. In any case, thanks be to God, the elections took place, and we hope that, God willing, this blessed election will be fruitful. During the elections, some things were observed that should be kept as experiences and lessons for the Iranian nation to use in the future.

Belief in the existence of solutions and the absence of deadlocks in the country's economic issues in the views of electoral candidates Well, a variety of opinions were observed in the debates, and it was evident; however, all these esteemed candidates agreed on the fact that the country's economic problems have solutions; this is the exact opposite of what the enemy wants to announce, that there is no solution. They all agreed that there are solutions, but this [one] said my solution is correct, that [one] said my solution is correct; however, they all denied the existence of deadlocks; this is very important.

Observing ethical standards and decorum and defending revolutionary positions in electoral debates Of course, during these debates, some spoke in defense of revolutionary positions, with decorum and necessary religious observances; some also behaved unethically, which is regrettable, and such unethical behavior should not exist. We should not learn our working methods in political matters, in elections, etc., from America; we should not learn from Trump and Biden, who insulted each other in debates; these are not good role models, we should not look at them. We must behave with decorum, observing ethical and religious considerations; [candidates] should express their views, but without insults, without accusations, and with good ethics.

The disgraceful elections of the enemies and mockers of Iran's elections The elections of Iran's enemies, like America, were disgraceful in the eyes of the world; they truly caused a scandal. Now those disgraceful individuals are criticizing our elections! An American element comments on Iran's elections; with the disgrace they have, now after a few months, they have spoken up; they should not utter a word about elections with the situation they have created.

Expressing gratitude and affection of officials and candidates towards the elected president, a divine blessing Well, one point that deserves gratitude to God is that, thanks be to God, after the elections and the victory of the candidate accepted by the people with a good vote and high percentage, the attitude of the country's officials was good; this indicates the necessary calmness and peace of mind in the country. That first-rate and top officials come to meet with the elected president, talk, and exchange views is a very good thing; that candidates who did not win votes congratulate the candidate who won and express affection and respect is a very good thing; this is also among the divine blessings. We hope that, God willing, the Almighty will increase these orientations for our country day by day. Compare this with the behavior of the Americans, who after one of them wins, how the other behaves; you remember the words and statements they had a few months ago.

We hope that, God willing, the Almighty will bless the results of the elections; may the responsibility of Mr. Raisi, both for himself and for the Iranian nation and the country, be a blessed event, and may the Almighty grant the results of this people's movement to the people and help, God willing, so that he and other officials can carry out the important tasks that are upon them with the help of the people.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.